They said the Civil Aviation Directive 2001 introduced on Oct 15 last year was a major hindrance as it required two clearances by CAAM which were not practical and would take time.
One helicopter owner, who declined to be named, said the two requirements involved providing a safety report at the landing area and getting permission from the owner of the premises before they could even take off.
“The clauses are killing the industry,” he said.
The pilot said the directive, which stated that exemptions were given during emergencies only, referred to aircraft problems and not those arising from natural calamities.
“Flying helicopters has become so regimented that it’s killing the enthusiasts and those ready to do corporate social responsibility (CSR) work, especially during emergencies.
“During the many floods over the years, we just landed on small patches and even roads that were not flooded to distribute aid,” he told FMT.
He said helicopter pilots had been trained to circle a prospective landing spot to do the risk assessment first, and they could land in school compounds in the past, but not anymore.
“School heads are simply refusing to give permission as it will take weeks or months to get the authorisation from the education departments or ministry. They just want to avoid the tedious process,” he said.
Another pilot said these rules were introduced three months after the infamous “nasi ganja” case, where a helicopter landed at an Ipoh field during the Covid-19 movement control order in July last year to collect the Ipoh specialty and ferry it back to Kuala Lumpur.
Following a public outcry, the pilot was charged despite being given clearance to land at the field by air traffic control.
The pilots complaining about the new CAAM conditions said besides training for emergency landings, helicopter pilots provided joy rides and served other recreational purposes.
They said they had been trained to make their own judgment call on possible landing sites by assessing the safety aspects.
“Can you imagine all the paperwork that is required now before they can even take off to provide emergency or relief aid? Do they want us to go by road to the areas, do the risk assessment and then get the written permission of the landowners?”
In addition, one of the pilots said, they were required to make arrangements to secure the area, which meant that they would have to hire someone to marshal the helicopter during landing.
“The small operators will be the most badly hit. CAAM should meet with the stakeholders and review these requirements,” he said.
FMT has reached out to CAAM for comment.